Hayride of a Lifetime

In my junior year of college, Aubrey came to the Gulf Coast from Mississippi State for a college internship. He was in every way a young, southern gentleman, a kindhearted fellow with a charisma that shined when he spoke in his slow, southern drawl. On top of it, he was mature beyond his years.

We met at church and Aubrey immediately became a part of our college group. In fact, not knowing a soul from Texas, we became his local social network. He became a friend.

Even under the best of circumstances, things can go bad. For Aubrey, it did.We had regular hayrides for fun and on Spring Break in college, Aubrey joined us for one. About 30 of us went that evening and as was our custom, the girls moved to the front of the trailer while the guys moved to the back.

Wrestling, pushing and tossing each other off the back of the moving trailer to the soft, and sometimes, cow pattied pasture below always ensued. It was like Ultimate Fighter with no cage, but no one was trying to hurt anyone else, and for the most part, it was rare anyone would get mad.

One of our “traditions” was to pick one guy and all the other guys would pounce on him, tie him up and leave him alone on the dark trail until the tractor made its half hour circle back around the pasture.

This particular night we decided Aubrey was the sacrificial lamb for two reasons. First, he didn’t know the “tradition”, so he wouldn’t be “on guard”. Second, we knew he would be a good sport.

When the time came, by chance Aubrey was sitting on the hay trailer in front of me, so I grabbed him from behind while the rest of the guys jumped him. Since I was behind him, I had the best grip on Aubrey with both arms around his chest. He struggled at first, but then pretty much gave up and went along with the silliness after someone told him what we were doing.

The guy beside me made the first tie with the thick nylon rope around Aubrey’s left forearm about six inches above his wrist…

He was going to throw the rope over to the guys on the right after he finished tying Aubrey’s arm. Regrettably, no one noticed that the other end of the rope had fallen on the ground, or that the trailer was running over it taking up the slack. Each turn of the tire took more slack out of the rope until it suddenly tightened and caused Aubrey to catapult from our grip jerking him over the side of the trailer.

The Sunday School teacher was driving the tractor and said later he didn’t know why, but something told him to stop immediately before that, and he did, just in the nick of time. Another second may have been deadly.

Even so, Aubrey was hanging over the side of the trailer and his left arm was almost down to the tire with a completely taunt rope. Aubrey was moaning in pain. One of the guys whipped out his pocket knife and quickly cut the rope near the tire.

Aubrey still had the tied rope around his wrist though. The sudden jerk on the rope had tightened it deep into his forearm. The same guy tried to cut the rope from his forearm, but couldn’t.

In severe pain, Aubrey moaned, “Get it off! Get it off!!” I grabbed the knife and by the light of flashlights began cutting the rope in a sawing motion.

The little fibers on the rope were popping apart one by one, but to cut it all the way off, I also had to nick Aubrey’s flesh.

The rope had sunk all the way to his bones, pinched the muscles in his forearm in two, and cut off the blood supply to his hand, and we were out in the boondocks.

Aubrey’s arm looked like it does when you wrap a rubber band really tight around your finger and leave it on for a few minutes. Your finger turns red and cold and when you take the rubber band off your finger, there’s a deep indentation where the rubber band was.

This wasn’t a rubber band though. The half inch rope was the indentation, and it was all the way to the bone.

When I was finally able to cut the rope in two, it didn’t pop loose. We had to peel the rope away from his arm and flesh. It was ugly.

What happened next will never leave me.

In agony, Aubrey looked down at his wrist, then at all of us. His face was contorted in pain as he looked back down at his wrist, then back up at us.

What Aubrey said next is something I will never, ever forget, and quite frankly, forever changed my life…

“I just want you to know, I don’t hold this against you”.

Emergency surgery saved Aubrey’s hand by restoring blood flow. The surgeon was able to sew his forearm muscles back together, but like any surgery, his arm and hand has never been the same.

I can never forget Aubrey’s reaction. It was so stoic, brave, forgiving, so Christ like.

I cannot think about Aubrey without thinking about Jesus. Jesus, nor Aubrey, did anything wrong, yet taken by force. Jesus was falsely accused and after He endured a flogging that would’ve killed most men, Jesus was nailed to a cross….nailed right through His wrists in about the same place Aubrey was hurt.

In excruciating pain, Jesus gazed at the very ones who put Him up on the cross and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”.

In other words, “I just want you to know, I don’t hold it against you”.

I am a meaningless slug for my part, and guilt, in hurting Aubrey’s wrist. Likewise, I am also but a worm for my guilt and part in Jesus’ crucifixion. I should rightly bear the blame for my actions. Yet to hear the forgiving response is forever priceless, for neither Aubrey, nor Jesus, hold it against me, and for that, I will never be the same!! Picture we took in June, 2017 in Jerusalem, Israel of the empty Garden Tomb where many believe Jesus was buried. The Garden Tomb is near Golgotha, the place of the Skull, where Jesus was crucified.[/caption]

Wow. This is heart-wrenching… and powerful at the same time! And your conclusion with the photo drives your point home. Aubrey truly knew Christ… and what an incredible reflection of the greater forgiveness and love that Christ showed and shows us. Thanks for sharing this story! God bless you greatly, Jeff!

Yes. Obviously Aubrey the most, but for those of us involved directly, a sense of deep regret to have hurt a friend even though there was no malicious intent at all. That may be one of life’s deepest sadnesses to me…hurting someone, whether physically or emotionally, when that was never the intent or desire.